The headmaster of an acclaimed state boarding school in Somerset will be leaving at the end of the year.

Irfan Latif, the headmaster of Sexey's School in Bruton will be leaving the school in December to take on a new role as principal of DLD College in London.

The school's head of governors said Mr Latif had steered the school through a "difficult nine months", and thanked him for the "commitment and energy" he brought to the role.

Recruitment for Mr Latif's successor is under way.

Sexey's was ranked as the top state school in Dorset and Somerset for GCSE results in 2015 and was described by the former Education Secretary Michael Gove as “one of the most outstanding schools in the country".

The school featured in Tatler's Top 20 State Schools in Britain in 2015 and 2016.

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Read the letter from Mike Bowman, Chair of Governors to parents in full.“I am writing to inform you that after four and a half years’ service as Headmaster, Mr Latif will be leaving Sexey’s at the end of the calendar year. He has steered the school through a difficult nine months and takes up his new position in the knowledge that the school is in a very positive position, with a strong board of Governors, outstanding leadership team and exceptional staff. He feels that the time is now right to leave to begin the next phase of his career; from January he will be working as Principal of DLD College, London, part of the Alpha Plus Group.

“While we will have the opportunity to say a proper farewell to Mr Latif later in the year, on behalf of the Board I would like to thank him sincerely for the commitment and energy with which he has led Sexey’s School. A perennially popular school, student numbers continue on the increase and yet academic standards have risen. We have celebrated some truly outstanding examination results during his tenure and the school’s provision of extra-curricular opportunities for students is exemplary. The lengths to which staff go to help students is remarkable and it tells us a lot about the approach that Mr Latif has nurtured. We thank him very much indeed for his dedication.

“The process of recruitment – which begins immediately - will be led by the new co-Chairs, Janet Wilson (current Vice-Chair of Governors) and Emma Miller (current Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee), who take their new term of office in September 2017. Along with the other Governors, I will also be instrumental in the process as I retain a seat on the Governing Body. We are working to recruit an outstanding new Headteacher to continue Mr Latif’s work and move the school forward. During this transition period, it is our priority to find the best individual to lead, while still maintaining a stable and effective organization.”